Our veteran honorees

Corporal Joseph Keefe was born in 1931 in a family with two siblings. He grew up in Ashton, RI, where he attended the Cumberland, RI public schools. Joseph graduated from Cumberland High School as Class President in 1948. He graduated from Rhode Island College with a degree in Education in 1952. He holds a masters degree and a doctoral degree in Education from Boston University. He was the Superintendent of Schools for the Town of Natick, MA for 20 years.

He enlisted in the Army in 1952 during the Korean War. He did his Basic Training and his AIT in Admin at Fort Knox, KY. In the first week of January of 1953, he boarded a military sea transport, the SS Simon Ballou, for Yokohama. He was stationed for the next 18 months in the S-2 section of the Replacement Detachment at Camp Tokyo. At the end of his tour, he returned to his home in Rhode Island and was assigned to the Standby Reserve at Fort Devens, MA.

He began his teaching career in Rhode Island and started taking graduate courses in the evening. However, he was recruited by the Town of Natick, MA and taught English and American History at the middle school level. At this time, he met his wife, Barbara Concannon, at “Moseley’s on the Charles,” and they were married in 1956. They moved to Natick.

Joseph earned various promotions in the public school system, from Assistant Principal to Principal. He was recruited by the Worcester school system to be the Assistant and then Deputy Superintendent. Finally, in 1976, he returned to Natick to become the Superintendent of Schools, a position he held for the next 20 years.

Upon his retirement from the Natick Public Schools, he became the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Organization of Educational Collaboratives, an organization that provided special education services to over 300 area school systems. Dr. Keefe held this position for 13 years. In 2008, he became Executive Director of the Walnut Hill School for the Arts, one of the very few high schools that provides total immersion in Art education. He finally retired in 2010.

Joeseph and Barbara have three daughters, four granddaughters, and an expected great granddaughter. Although they spend much of their time with their children and grandchildren, Dr. Keefe is involved as a volunteer for a variety of community organizations. He has been the Past President twice and the Secretary for 20 years of the Natick Rotary. He has been a Trustee of Natick’s Morse Institute Library, for which he served as President for 15 years. He has been a member of the Institutional Review Board, Metrowest Medical Center, Framingham, where medical studies/experiments are performed on human subjects. The Board oversees the Center’s compliance to federal regulations.

Lance Corporal William Howard (“Joe”) was born in 1949 in a family with two siblings. He grew up in Roslindale, MA, where he attended the Boston public schools. Joe graduated from Brighton High School in 1969 and immediately volunteered for active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps when he was 19 years old.

He did his Basic Training at Paris Island, SC, and then his advanced training in the Infantry at Camp Geiger, NC. He was sent to Camp Pendleton, CA for Field Artillery training. He was deployed to Vietnam in 1969 and, in country, he served as Field Artillery Section Chief, where he was responsible for the team on “Gun 4 – God of Hell Fire.” Joe recalls firing positions at LZ Ross, LZ Baldy, LZ Ryder, LZ Bushwhack (a secret mission in Cambodia), and LZ Dagger. He was always in a “ Go, Go, Go, Joe” mode throughout his entire Vietnam deployment. In 1970, he was transferred to NOP, Nuclear Ordnance Platoon, Marine Corps Base, Camp 29 Palms, CA. He was discharged in 1971 and returned home to Roslindale, MA. He was in the Inactive Marine Reserve for four years. He remembers everything vividly, and is proud of his Vietnam service. He will forever be a Marine.

He then began his career in landscaping, which he continued throughout his life. He met his wife, Sharon Ridgway, when he came home to Roslindale. They have two sons, Chad and Shane. Chad is a Detective Lt on the Natick Police Force. Joe’s work as a landscaper allowed him to share home responsibilities with Sharon, and he was lucky enough to spend a lot of time with his children as they grew up. His son Shane and wife Katherine Anne have blessed Joe with two beautiful granddaughters.

In retirement, Joe enjoys his hobby of making decorative wall-hanging mirrors from old wooden windows. He has lived in Natick since 1978.

Marvin Gilmore is a humanitarian, entrepreneur, political advisor, honored World War II veteran, musician, and familyman, to name just a few of the many incarnations for which this amazing man is known both nationally and internationally. Mr. Gilmore has a resume as eclectic as his interests.

Mr. Gilmore served in the 458th, Battery 'A' Anti-Aircraft Artillery (Automatic Weapons) Battalion and served on D- Day's Normandy, Utah and Omaha Beaches. Mr. Gilmore was awarded the Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal & Bronze Star Attachment (Quadruple), World War II Victory Medal, Honorable Service Lapel Button WW II, and Sharpshooter Badge & Rifle Bar. During the luncheon ceremony of Lafayette Day celebration, the War Department of the United States of America, represented by Sterling D. MacLeod, Colonel Field Artillery, Massachusetts Army National Guard, accompanied by the 54th Massachusetts Voluntary Regiment Honor Guard, formally presented him with the medals he earned serving during World War II.

Mr. Gilmore was a co-founder of the Unity Bank and Trust Company in Roxbury in the late 60s, the first Black-owned and operated commercial bank in Boston. Later, he served on the Low-Income Housing Commission, whose proposed legislation created the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency.

From 1973 through 2015, Mr. Gilmore served as the President and CEO of the Community Development Corporation of Boston, a community-based, private, non-profit economic development organization. Under Gilmore's leadership, the primary focus of the CDC was to encourage businesses to develop sites in inner-city neighborhoods. Mr. Gilmore was a primary force in the economic development of the Southwest Corridor, and under Mr. Gilmore's stewardship the CDC took the dilapidated buildings of the Newmarket Industrial District and turned them into a textbook example of successful urban revitalization. Mr. Gilmore spearheaded the development of industrial projects within the Crosstown Industrial Park in Roxbury/South End, including Digital Equipment Corp., Morgan Memorial headquarters and Boston University's biomedical laboratories. Mr. Gilmore is a trustee of the Boston Local Development Corporation (BLDC) under the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA).

Mr. Gilmore's interests and efforts, however, do not stop with community development. He actively raised life membership funds and the membership for the Boston branch of the NAACP, which included such notable figures as lifetime members such as Sammy Davis, Jr. Mr. Gilmore's forward-thinking business savvy and philanthropy have helped numerous non-profit organizations, including Youville Hospital and New England Conservatory of Music. Mr. Gilmore has served as a trustee and board member at Youville Hospital and New England Conservatory.

Mr. Gilmore has had a lifelong love affair with music that began in childhood, nurtured during his time at the Royal Scottish Academy School of Music, in Glasgow, Scotland, at the end of World War II, and blossomed with a degree in music from New England Conservatory of Music. For more than 35 years, he has owned and managed the Western Front in Cambridge, which has been home to some of the finest in live Reggae, Latin, Jazz, and Salsa music in the greater Boston area, including, but not limited to, such greats as Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong. On November 6, 2004, the City of Cambridge honored Marvin by naming a Square at Memorial Drive and Western Avenue in his honor, "Marvin E. Gilmore Square."

In 2000, Mr. Gilmore was featured by Tom Brokaw in an NBC Nightly News special on minority service in WWII. In celebration of the 2000 Day of Honor, Mr. Gilmore joined former President Bill Clinton at the White House with General Colin Powell and the late Senator Edward Kennedy. Mr. Gilmore also participated in the Laying of the Wreath of the Unknown Soldier at the Arlington National Cemetery. On January 15, 2010, by a decree signed by the President of the French Republic, Marvin E. Gilmore Jr. was named a "Chevalier" of The Legion of Honor. On May 20, 2010, at the Massachusetts State House on the occasion of the 75th Annual Massachusetts Lafayette Day, Mr. Gilmore was honored for having been admitted France's Legion of Honor by a distinguished assemblage of local, national and international dignitaries, including the Governor of Massachusetts.

Governor Deval Patrick presented Mr. Gilmore with the Governor's Citation “in recognition your dedicated service during World War II and being the first African American from New England to receive the Legion of Honor Medal." On June 1, 2010, Mr. Gilmore was again recognized by vote of the Cambridge School Committee with a letter sent congratulating him for receiving the French Legion of Honor "for your outstanding service during World War II. It is not only an honor for you, but for the entire City of Cambridge. The members send their profound thanks and congratulations for all that you do in our community."

As a continuation of the French Government's recognition and celebration of the awarding of the Legion of Honor to Mr. Gilmore, he was invited to Grasse, France on September 10, 2010, for a three-day tribute including a trip to Cannes and a culminating event attended.by Vice Admiral Harry Harris, USN commander of the 6th Fleet of NATO's Strike and Support Forces. Admiral Harris and other members of the US Navy representing the United States thanked Mr. Gilmore for his contributions during WWII.

Mr. Gilmore currently serves on a number of boards, including University of Massachusetts Boston Board of Visitors, Trustee of Boston Local Development Corporation, New England Conservatory Board of Overseers, Longy Bard College, Asian American Civic Association, and, The Roxbury Trust He has established a foundation for scholarship at Brandeis University for African American and International Students named the "Marvin & Loma Gilmore Foundation." Mr. Gilmore also mentors New England Conservatory and Brandeis Students.

In February of 2013, Mr. Gilmore was honored with receipt of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ highest honor. The Massachusetts Cultural Council presented Mr. Gilmore with the 2013 Commonwealth Leadership Award for extraordinary commitment to serving the public. Mr. Gilmore was honored at the 70th Anniversary of D-Day at Normandy, Utah and Omaha Beaches, June 6, 2014 ceremony with President Barak Obama, President Francois Hollande, and Queen Elizabeth. The General Council of Manche ordered the artist Milene Guermont to do the artwork of INSTANTS with partnerships of EDF, AREVA, Sainte-Marie-du-Mont at the Utah Beach Museum, displaying a permanent handprint of Mr. Gilmore and all who landed in Utah Beach, 70 years ago and battled to liberate France.

In 2014, Mr. Gilmore's biography, Crusader for Freedom, was published, which is sold nationwide. He received the Doctor of Humane Letters from Endicott College in August 2015. November 9, 2016, Mr. Gilmore received the Medal Ordre Lafayette and was named Chevalier Ordre Lafayette, a prestigious honor.

Technical Sergeant Robert Ferullo was born in 1930 in a family with eight children, and he was the youngest. He grew up in Woburn, MA, where he attended the Woburn public schools. Robert graduated from Woburn High School in 1948 and immediately volunteered for active duty in the U.S. Air Force when he was 18 years old. He had four older brothers who all served in WWII.

Robert did his Basic Training at Lackland AFB, TX, and then his advanced training in Admin in Cheyenne,WY. He was deployed to Japan in 1948 and, in country, he served in Personnel Administration and Public Relations. He served in Japan for three years, stationed at Itazuke AFB. He was then transferred back to the United States and was stationed at Mitchell AFB in Long Island, NY, where he was stationed for three years. He then retired from the Air Force and came home to Woburn, MA.

Upon his return home, he was a full-time student at Boston University, earning his undergraduate, masters, and doctoral degrees in Education in only seven years. He met his wife, Barbara Corrigan, and they were married in 1957. They have four children, eight grandsons, and two great grandchildren. With his doctoral degree, Dr. Ferullo became the Chair of the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department at Northeastern University. He was on the faculty at Northeastern University for 38 years. He has several dozen scholarly articles published. He is proud of his position as an Educational Broadcaster on both TV and radio for the former WNAC, Channel 7. He has been a consultant to various public school systems for over 40 years,

In retirement, Robert is a Lector at the St. Anthony of Padua Church in Woburn. He is also the Senior Acolyte for his church. Robert and Barbara had the opportunity to travel throughout the United States and Italy. Also, in retirement, he is a public address announcer for thoroughbred racing, harness racing, and dog racing in New England and Maryland. He is now delighted to spend as much time as possible with his grandchildren and great grandchildren.

SPC4 George Howard was born in 1947 in a family with two siblings. He grew up in Roslindale, MA, where he attended the Boston public schools. George attended Roslindale High School and then went to work as a laborer to support his family. He volunteered for active duty in the Army when he was 20 years old.

He did his Basic Training and his AIT in the Signal Corps at Fort Gordon, GA. He was deployed to Vietnam in 1967. In country, he served as a tactical circuit controller, where he set up signal sites, rerouting and maintaining communication lines. George recalls being stationed at a U.S. Army base at Pleiku in the central highlands and at a U.S. Air Force Base Dong Ha, near the DMZ. He was assigned to the 588 Signal Company of the 63rd Signal Battalion. At the end of his tour, in 1968, he returned home to Roslindale.

He began his career as an electrician. He served as an apprentice for four years, and finally received his license as a Journeyman Electrician. During his long career as an electrician, he worked at Re- Jan Electric for 10 years, Vigil Electric for 20 years, and the Local 103 for 9 years. He retired in 2008. He met his wife, Louise E. Reed, shortly after he returned from Vietnam, and they were married in 1969. They still reside in Roslindale and have been married for 52 years. They have three children and five grandchildren.

They have a vacation home in Marshfield, MA, where they spend five months of the year, with their children and grandchildren visiting all the time. He is proud of his nephew, Detective Lt Chad Howard, from the Natick Police Force. George and Louise are really enjoying retirement.

Captain Russell Dennis was born in 1945 in a family with three siblings. He grew up in Queens, NY, where he attended public schools. Russell graduated from John Adams High School in Queens in 1963. He graduated from St. John’s University with a degree in Social Science in 1967. He then taught high school Social Studies in the East Islip, NY school system before enlisting in the New York Army National Guard in 1967.

While in the Army National Guard, Captain Dennis applied to the Air Force Officer Training School (OTS). He completed his OTS Program at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, TX and was immediately transitioned into flight school. He completed flight school in June, 1970. With some advanced training on the C-47 aircraft, 1LT Dennis was deployed to Vietnam. Prior to deployment, he married Marguerite LaRosa, whom he had met in college.

In country, 1LT Dennis was assigned to the 362 Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron in Da Nang, RVN. He flew EC-47s on data collection missions. He remained in country for one year and then returned to the United States and was stationed at Plattsburg AFB, NY, for four years. His missions were primarily “aerial refueling” of other aircraft while airborne. These were interesting assignments, as he was part of the Strategic Air Command (SAC).

In 1975, Captain Dennis was transferred to Andrews AFB, Maryland. He was assigned to the 89th Military Airlift Wing (MAW) for White House Support. He flew a VC-140 aircraft (Lockheed Jetstar) for VIP transport. He flew Senator Goldwater, Secretary Kissinger, Secretary of Defense Schlesinger, and Secretary Simon, and many foreign dignitaries. He left the Air Force in 1977 to pursue a career in civilian aviation.

Now, as a civilian, he went to work as a pilot for North Central Airlines out of Minneapolis, MN. Over his 27 years with this airline, it changed to Republic Airlines and then Northwest Airlines through mergers. He moved to Wellesley, MA in 1989 and retired from Northwest Airlines in 2005. He and his wife, Marguerite, now have a home in Cotuit on Cape Cod and a home in Naples, FL. They have two daughters, Jenelle and Lauren, and three grandchildren. In retirement, the Dennises enjoy their classic 1958 XK150S Jaguar and have travelled worldwide to classic car events and venues.